"Now's the time to tell us": New appeal 30 years on from disappearance of Calderdale teen

A new appeal has been launched, on the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of Lindsay Rimer, who was 13-years-old when she went missing on November 7, 1994.

West Yorkshire Police believe she was murdered.

The schoolgirl was last seen in the town’s Memorial Gardens, close to a bus stop on New Road, in Hebden Bridge at 10:45pm that night.

Lindsay had earlier been to the nearby Trades Club on Holme Street to see her mum and collect some money before heading to the Spar convenience store on Crown Street to buy some corn flakes.

CCTV footage shows Lindsay in the Spar where she bought the cereal and left at 10:23pm.

It has been widely circulated and is the last-known footage of her.

The alarm was raised the following morning when she failed to turn up for her paper round.

Lindsay’s body was found in the Rochdale Canal, close to Callis Bridge about a mile away from her home, five months later, on April 12, 1995.

Speaking on the 30th anniversary of Lindsay’s disappearance, Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle Senior Investigating Officer at West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team (HMET) said: “Lindsay Rimer was a 13-year-old child who lived here in Hebden Bridge with her mum, her dad, her brothers and sisters.

“She was a bright, inquisitive, independent girl and on November the 7th, 1994, she did what any 13-year-old girl should be allowed to do.

“She went to the shop. She called via the Trades Club to see her mum, she called into the shop.

“And then someone brutally murdered her, and left body in the canal, hoping that no one in the family would ever know what had happened.

“It's 30 years to the day that this happened.

“There has been an immense police inquiry around it and we're still no closer to the truth about what happened.

“And so my appeal today is threefold. Firstly, do you have suspicions about someone? Were you maybe a prison officer, a probation officer, a teacher who's always ‘wondered what about that person?’ Now's the time. 30 years later, now's the time.

“Secondly, were you in Hebden Bridge at the time? Have you always wondered about coming forward. Loyalties change over 30 years. Now's the time to talk to us.

“And thirdly, were you involved? Do you have this on your conscience? Maybe you weren't responsible for the murder, but you know exactly what happened. 30 years later, now's the time to talk to us.

“You can ring us. You can go online and make a report, anonymously or otherwise.

“Tonight is 30 years since November the 7th 1994 and my team and I are here in Hebden Bridge. We'll be here all night.

“Come and talk to us because now is the time.”

Lindsay's sisters have spoken about the tragic loss they have suffered and the family's years of grief and and heartache following the murder.

Lindsay’s sister Juliet was aged just 18 months when her sister disappeared.

Marking today’s 30th anniversary, she appealed for people to get in contact with any information that could help identify the person or persons who killed her sister: “We want someone to come forward with information, because you never know that tiny piece of information might be the missing piece in the puzzle and might just fit everything together and put this to rest.”

Lindsay’s elder sister Kate added: “If you know something about my sister’s murder and the person who killed her, you have a moral obligation to come forward because this needs to end for our family, and it needs to end for Lindsay as well.”

Detectives investigating Lindsay’s murder and uniformed officers from the Calder Valley Neighbourhood Policing Team will be in Hebden Bridge throughout the day and into the evening to engage with members of the public who they hope will come forward with information about Lindsay’s murder.

Anyone with information they think may be relevant to the enquiry is urged to get in contact with officers either in person today or online.

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